tambourine

[ tam-buh-reen ]

noun

1. a small drum consisting of a circular frame with a skin stretched over it and several pairs of metal jingles attached to the frame, played by striking with the knuckles, shaking, and the like.

tambourine

/ ˌtæmbəˈriːn /

noun

1. music a percussion instrument consisting of a single drumhead of skin stretched over a circular wooden frame hung with pairs of metal discs that jingle when it is struck or shaken

Derived Forms

• ˌtambouˈrinist, noun

Other Words From

• tambou·rinist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tambourine¹

1570–80; earlier tamboryne < Middle Dutch tamborijn small drum < Middle French tambourin or Medieval Latin tamborīnum. See tambour, -ine ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of tambourine¹

C16: from Middle Flemish tamborijn a little drum, from Old French: tambourin

Example Sentences

Organizers of the rally cast the event in the tradition of the 1960s civil rights movement, complete with hippie peace signs and tambourines.

From Time

The sound of the alarm clock conquered the sound of the tambourine, the houses put on their winter faces.

From Time

Hand percussion, such as shaker and tambourine, and acoustic guitar, also benefit from accurate transient reproduction.

From Popular-Science